title: The influence of knowledge, perceptions, and beliefs, on hand hygiene practices in nursing homes.
abstract: There are few studies that have assessed factors influencing infection control practices among health care workers (HCW) in nursing homes. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of HCWs (N = 392) in 4 nursing homes to assess whether knowledge, beliefs, and perceptions influence reported hand hygiene habits. Positive perceptions and beliefs regarding effectiveness of infection control in nursing homes were associated with reported appropriate glove use and fingernail characteristics, respectively, among HCWs. Further research on hand hygiene interventions, including targeted educational in-services should be conducted in the nursing home setting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, University of Michigan-School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029, USA. aielloa@umich.edu
authors.forename: Allison E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Aiello
authors.forename: Maricar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Malinis
authors.forename: Jennifer K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Knapp
authors.forename: Lona
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mody
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005932:Gloves, Surgical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006235:Hand Disinfection / Q000379:methods*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006282:Health Personnel; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D006920:Hygiene; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009262:Nails / Q000502:physiology; D009735:Nursing Homes; D055815:Young Adult